Bradley Fletcher worried about improving, not DeSean Jackson

PHILADELPHIA — Bradley Fletcher picked the right time to work on core strength.

Fletcher and the rest of the Eagles secondary need to be their best to beat the Washington Redskins and DeSean Jackson, who used to be their best wide receiver.

Jackson basically told the NFL Network every time he steps on the field he thinks about the Eagles and paybacks. He’s circled the Week Three game with the Eagles.

Fletcher flashed his competitive smile.

“I don’t think about him every day,” Fletcher said. “But we definitely look forward to playing the Redskins when that time comes. It’s going to be a good one. Definitely.”

Good, bad, ugly or whatever that game turns out to be the Eagles are going to get a stronger Bradley Fletcher this season.

Fletcher missed three games last season, including two with a strained pectoral muscle.

During the offseason Fletcher (6-0, 196) has invested considerable time in core training. Part of the routine is doing the bench press off a stability ball instead of a bench.

“Think of a bench and you’re benching,” Fletcher said. “Besides doing that you have a stability ball that you’ll put your back on and then lift a bar off the rack and then do the bench.

“You’ve got to set your core to keep your back straight while you’re holding the bench bar in front of you and pushing out the amount of weight you can do. That’s different than having a flat bench that doesn’t move.”

The often grueling exercises have strengthened Fletcher’s torso and legs. While those are critical areas for all football players, it’s a prerequisite for cornerbacks constantly “changing direction.

“You always want to have your core tight so you can move and have control over your body,” Fletcher said. “

The Eagles ranked last in the league in pass defense last year, allowing 289.8 yards per game. The last three regular season games were brutal as the Birds gave up just 320.6 yards, Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton bombing them for 382 and 358 yards respectively.

Fletcher expects improvement. In addition to depth in the secondary, he’s coming off a solid year having intercepted Mike Glennon in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Terrelle Pryor in a rout of the Oakland Raiders. Fletcher also broke up a late fourth-down pass intended for Michael Floyd to all but seal a win over Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals.

“We have to improve on where we were at last season,” Fletcher said. “We can’t have that as far as a secondary. We’re going to change that. We’re doing a lot of things right now in our OTAs to change that. I think a lot of guys are gelling well with the schemes that we have on our defense and we’re definitely going to change where we were at last season. We’re going to be a much better defense.”

The Eagles need to be better than better when they take on quarterback Robert Griffin III and the Redskins. Since 2008, the Birds reveled in watching the ultra-fast Jackson torment teams as he’s produced 32 receiving touchdowns and has averaged 17.1 yards per catch in his six-year career.

Jackson clearly wants to humble the Eagles, who selected him in the second round, much like he felt humbled when the organization cut him after his most productive season. For all practical purposes the Eagles didn’t think Jackson was worth the $12 million he would have earned with them in 2014.

“I think about that every time I step on the field,” Jackson said of his release on the NFLN Total Access Show. “Especially with the legacy I had in Philadelphia and the things I’ve done for that organization. I felt like I left a lot there but I had to take it to D.C.

“When that game comes I’m going to do my thing. I’m going to put in what I need to put in. I ain’t going to give nobody no extra things to talk about. I’m going to do what I need to do. But for sure, that game you already know I’m ready to turn it up.”

The Eagles know a little bit about Jackson as well.

“He’ll be a challenge as far as whoever he plays,” Fletcher said. “But we’ll definitely be ready for him when the time comes. We have a whole schedule to get ready for as well. That’s what we’re getting ready for during training camp. We’ll get our team together and then we’ll start with Week One, and go on from there.”